She’s in the Carver rafters now: Iowa retires Caitlin Clark’s No. 22

IOWA CITY — Everybody stuck around for this.

Whether standing or sitting, a sellout crowd 14,998 fans stayed. Fox Sports extended its telecast.

Even the USC Trojans, after suffering an unexpected defeat, weren’t in a rush to leave.

Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 uniform replica was elevated from the floor to the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, shortly after Iowa shocked fourth-ranked USC, 76-69.

“I get to say thank you to those who have poured so much into me,” Clark said in a pregame news conference.

A native of West Des Moines, Clark lifted the Iowa program to unprecedented heights, leading the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament finals in 2023 and 2024 before the Indiana Fever selected her No. 1 in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

“It’s not so much the winning,” Clark said. “The winning came because of the culture we had.

“We had players that were selfless. They didn’t care how many points they scored. And they held each other accountable.”

Clark is the all-time leading scorer in college basketball — women’s or men’s — with 3,951 points and was a two-time unanimous national player of the year.

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Her greatness was obvious long before she came here.

“When we first saw her, Lisa (Bluder), Jenni (Fitzgerald) and I made a pact that we would be the last ones standing (in the recruiting process),” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “I’m so thankful that we were.”

Clark’s impact — here, there and everywhere — is impossible to quantify.

“What Caitlin has done for the game ... we decided that we were going to stay out there and be part of the honor,” USC Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “She opened the door to so many new women’s basketball fans.”

Clark was making just her second trip back to Iowa City since last summer. She was part of the Hawkeyes’ ring ceremony at Kinnick Stadium last fall, and she said she “felt butterflies in my stomach” upon Sunday’s festivities.

“I feel lucky and fortunate. A lot of great ones have worn 22,” she said. “Samantha Logic and Kathleen Doyle, they’ve been very supportive.

“How things changed from the very beginning to the very end, how much things changed for the program, for women’s basketball in general ... I’m very grateful and fortunate.”

Clark and her family sat in the press section for much of the game, in which the Hawkeyes won their third straight to improve to 15-7 overall, 5-6 in the Big Ten.

“They’re definitely a young group,” Clark said. “The freshman class, to me, is what’s exciting.

“I’m very proud of the staff. Sometimes, people haven’t given enough grace to the coaches. But they’ve stayed resilient. This program is in a great spot.”

Clark, as much as anyone, put it there.

“You may be in Indiana now,” Bluder said. “But you’ll always be a Hawkeye.”

Clark’s “22” is the third retired Iowa women’s basketball jersey, joining Megan Gustafson’s “10” and Michelle Edwards’ “30.”

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Photos: Caitlin Clark jersey retirement ceremony and USC at Iowa women’s game

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com